How to Clean and Disinfect Baby Toys With or Without Bleach

A child's hands stack colorful plastic toys on a white table.

Parents know that nothing loves baby toys more than a baby’s mouth. Learn how to disinfect toys with or without bleach to help reduce the spread of icky germs in your home.

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By Mary Gagliardi

Icky germs can be especially dangerous for kids, so it's a good idea to disinfect baby toys with a Clorox™ Disinfecting Bleach solution to help to reduce the spread of cold and flu viruses. You can use the same solution on high chairs, cribs, changing tables and other baby furniture.

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What you need

Steps to disinfect baby toys with bleach

  1. Prepare the disinfecting bleach and water solution

    Measure 1 gallon of water (4 quarts) into the plastic dishpan, and then add 1/3 cup bleach to the water and stir the solution with the spoon.

    Close-up of pouring Clorox Bleach from white bottle

  2. Pre-clean toys

    If necessary, use a paper towel dampened with water to wipe any obvious dirt or grime off the toys before the disinfecting step.

    A closeup shot of two hands holding a dirty yellow rubber ducky toy, one hand wiping it with a paper towel.

  3. Apply the disinfecting bleach solution

    Drop smaller toys into the bleach and water solution and stir with the spoon so all surfaces stay wet for 6 minutes. For larger toys that won’t fit easily in the dishpan, use the sponge to apply the bleach and water solution to the toy. Reapply the solution as needed to keep the toy wet for 6 minutes.

    Tip

    Wearing gloves, hold bath toys with air holes like rubber duckies in the solution and squeeze to work the solution inside the toy.

    An overhead shot of a blue tub of small plastic toys in water, one hand holds the tub while the other uses a large spoon.

  4. Thoroughly rinse each toy

    Make sure to completely rinse away the bleach solution with clean water, including squeezing clean water into and out of bath toys.

    An overhead shot of a blue tub of small plastic toys in clear, clean water, a spout of water pours from above.

  5. Air dry

    Lay the toys out on the clean towel and allow them to air dry.

    Small plastic toys including pig and horse figurines, a rubber ducky, and rainbow plastic keys drying on a white towel.

Related products

Bleach-free cleaning

For a bleach-free alternative, try Free & Clear Disinfecting and Sanitizing Mist, a germ-killing mist that’s safe around kids, pets and food.* It’s free of fragrances and dyes, and works on hard and soft surfaces.† Just spray and go, no rinse required.

Supplies

  • *

    When used as directed.

  • †

    When used as directed. See product label for list of bacteria and viruses killed on hard surfaces and bacteria killed on soft services.